Archive for the 'Mental Decline' Category
March 17th, 2010 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
A recent study from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute in Murray, Utah has found that people who increase their vitamin D blood levels to 43 or higher may lower their risk of diabetes, heart attack, heart failure, high blood pressure and heart disease.
Heralded as “One of the Top 10 Medical Breakthroughs of 2007″, Vitamin D continues to surface in new research as a critical nutrient in maintaining good health and preventing disease, yet almost half of the world’s population has lower than optimal levels of vitamin D.
It is well known that hip fractures and muscle weakness, in people over 50, are linked with a deficiency in Vitamin D. Many recent studies have also found that low Vitamin D levels are associated with a number of serious, chronic diseases, such as diabetes, gum disease, multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune diseases, peripheral neuropathy, osteoporosis, cancer, stroke, mental decline, depression, high blood pressure and heart disease.
A Vitamin D deficiency can be treated with a simple daily supplement and a blood test can measure the circulating Vitamin D levels in your blood. A level of 30 nanograms per milliliter of vitamin D is considered normal, although this may vary from lab to lab.
Many doctors are routinely drawing blood levels of Vitamin D to to make sure patients are getting enough vitamin D to optimize good bone health and prevent chronic disease. Ask your doctor about this.
Important Note: Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, thus toxicity can occur from high intakes of vitamin D. Overdosage can occur from large amounts of supplements or cod liver oil, but it is unlikely to result from sun exposure or diet. Parents should consult with their pediatrician before giving any child vitamin D supplements. Excess vitamin D can reach toxic levels and be harmful.
Source: “Boosting Vitamin D Can Do a Heart Good”, HealthDay News, March 15, 2010
March 16th, 2010 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Driving skills may still be intact in early Alzheimer’s, but the risk of getting lost on familiar streets, may be greater than one would think, according to researchers from the School of Occupational Therapy at Pacific University, Oregon. Memory and navigation skills become impaired in early Alzheimer’s while poor judgment and reasoning frequently compound the problem.
In this recent study of 207 drivers with Alzheimer’s who went missing while driving, 32 died and 35 were found injured, while 70 were still not found by the time the data was analyzed. Most had set off on routine and familiar trips to the post office, the local store or a relative’s house. Once lost, some had driven for almost two days and covered more than 1,700 miles. One New Jersey couple in the study, both with dementia, got lost on a trip to the store and drove around until they ran out of gas. The husband went for help but was unable to direct authorities to his car. His wife was found dead several days later.
Giving up the car keys is often a monumental loss for elderly folks who are considered unsafe to drive. Especially for men, it’s a milestone that represents a loss of independence, freedom and control. Families are frequently put in the difficult position of identifying the problem and enforcing the restrictions. So what is a family to do? Here are some helpful tips and resources:
- This is an important time to seek the help of the elderly person’s doctor. Have a confidential meeting or phone conversation ahead of their visit so the doctor has a clear understanding of the circumstances. People often will listen more to their doctor and less to their spouses and children about driving ability.
- There are many excellent resources for family members available through the Area Agency on Aging. Call their Senior Information Line at 800-645-2810 for a copy of booklets, brochures, or DVD’s about safe driving with aging.
- The Alzheimer’s Association offers a web-based program called “Comfort Zone” that families of Alzheimer’s patients can use if the person can still drive safely in familiar places. The driver agrees to limit driving to a “comfort zone,” and a global positioning system (GPS) monitors driving. If the driver leaves the area, the family is notified in real time.
Read more about “Comfort Zone”
Source: Linda Hunt, Ph.D., associate professor, Pacific University, Oregon; Elizabeth Gould, M.S.W., director, quality care programs, Alzheimer’s Association, Chicago; March 2010, American Journal of Occupational Health
Source: “Driving With Early Alzheimer’s May Be Ill-Advised”, HealthDay, March 12, 2010
November 11th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Weight loss alone has been well known to improve mood and sense of well being, but whether one particular diet is better than another has not been well established.
In a recent study, people who followed a low-fat diet had lasting improvements in hostility, confusion, depression, and overall bad mood scores during one year of dieting compared with those on a low-carb diet.
Both groups of dieters also showed an initial improvement in working memory that didn’t disappear over time.
Read more:
Source: Archives of Internal Medicine, Nov. 9, 2009
August 5th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
The brain is very similar to a muscle in your body–use it or lose it. Staying active mentally is just as important as staying active physically say leading researchers.
A number of studies on older people, in particular, who participate in mentally stimulating activities remain cognitively active longer and delay the onset of memory decline. And other studies have found that younger people with at least a high school education will spend more of their older years without cognitive loss.
Reading, writing, doing crossword puzzles, playing board or card games, having group discussions, or playing music have been found to be mentally stimulating according to Charles Hall, PhD, of Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.
Source: Hall C, et al “Cognitive activities delay onset of memory decline in persons who develop dementia” Neurology 2009; 73: 356-361.
Source: “Brain Exercise Might Delay Dementia-Related Memory Decline”, MedPage Today, August 3, 2009
July 21st, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Curcumin, a polyphenol found in the Indian spice turmeric, and Vitamin D3 may help the immune system eliminate hamful plaques from the brains of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, according to researchers from UCLA, UC Riverside and the Human BioMolecular Research Institute. Their recent study found that both vitamin D3 and curcumin helped stimulate macrophages, a critical part of the immune system response, which appears to help decrease the buildup of disease-producing plaques in people with Alzheimer’s disease.
Turmeric is commonly used in foods such as curry powders, mustards, and cheeses. It is grown as a shrub and is related to ginger. Turmeric is grown throughout India, other parts of Asia, and Africa. The root of turmeric has long been used in traditional Asian medicine to relieve a variety of conditions.
In this study, the researchers found that naturally occurring curcumin was less effective than synthetic curcumin, but they also noted that since this is early laboratory research, no dosage of vitamin D or curcumin can be recommended at this point. Larger vitamin D and curcumin studies with more patients are needed and planned.
A growing body of literature on vitamin D is also shedding light on the importance of this nutrient in the prevention of many chronic diseases. A simple blood test can measure the circulating Vitamin D levels in your blood, and many doctors are now drawing blood levels of Vitamin D to to make sure patients are getting enough. Doctors are finding that deficiences in Vitamin D are common, even in those who get daily sunshine and follow a good diet. Ask your doctor about this.
Read more about Vitamin D from Bay Area Medical Information
Source: Masoumi A, et al “1a,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 interacts with curcuminoids to stimulate amyloid-beta clearance by macrophages of Alzheimer disease patients” J Alzheimer Dis 2009
Source: “Stimulating Immune Response May Help Clear Alzheimer’s Plaques”, MedPage Today, July 2009
June 2nd, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Plaques and tangles on brain biopsy, post mortem, have been considered classic pathological features of Alzheimer’s disease. Some researchers are questioning the validity of this finding, however, and a recent study from the UK sheds more light on this theory.
In their recent study, British researchers found that many people in their 90’s had significant plaques and tangles in their brains but still managed to avoid dementia. Their findings were based on the brains of 456 people who had died and donated their bodies to science. The researchers found a strong link between plaques and tangles in the brain and Alzheimer’s in the 75-year-olds, but the significant association diminished by the time the people were 95.
These findings lend weight to the theory that plaques and tangles might not be a reliable sign of Alzheimer’s Disease. The study also points out that there is a lot that we don’t know about Alzheimer’s, and dementia in general.
Illustration courtesy of Alzheimer’s Disease Education and Referral Center (ADEAR), a service of the National Institute on Aging.
Source: “Plaques and Tangles May Not Doom the Very Old to Dementia”, MedPage Today, May 27, 2009
Source: Savva G, et al “Age, neuropathology, and dementia” N Engl J Med 2009; 360: 2302-09.
Source: Ewbank D, Arnold S “Cool with plaques and tangles” N Engl J Med 2009; 360: 2357-59.
Source: Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation
March 10th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
As little as four to five drinks in a 2-hr period can actually damage the brain and lead to numerous serious health conditions.
Defined as five or more drinks during a 2-hr period for men or four or more drinks in the same amount of time for women, binge drinking is a common form of entertainment for adults, but also is highly prevalent in our youth. In fact, one in three high school seniors are binge drinking at least once per month.
In addition to brain damage, binge drinkers often suffer a number of very serious and significant consequences:
- Accidents and injuries (e.g., car crashes, falls, burns, drowning) Binge drinkers are 14 times more likely to report alcohol-impaired driving than non-binge drinkers.
- Intentional injuries (e.g., firearm injuries, sexual assault, domestic violence)
- Alcohol poisoning
- Sexually transmitted diseases
- Unintended pregnancy
- Children born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
- High blood pressure, stroke, and other cardiovascular diseases
- Liver disease
- Neurological damage
- Sexual dysfunction
- Poor control of diabetes
In a study from Duke, young binge drinkers were found to have significantly smaller prefrontal cortexes on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The prefrontal cortex is an area of the brain associated with complex thinking, planning, inhibition, and emotional regulation. In this study, the size of the prefrontal cortex strongly correlated with the average number of drinks each individual consumed per drinking episode.
Source: National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institute of HealthMedPageToday, Sept 2005
Source: Dr. De Bellis et al, Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research, Sept 2005 Reported in
March 4th, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
The health benefits of alcohol are frequently touted on the daily news, but the many hazards are often omitted. Americans truly enjoy their alcohol, but the facts remain that excessive alcohol use is the third leading cause of preventable death in the United States and is a risk factor for numerous serious health and societal problems.
What is excessive alcohol use? It can take the form of heavy drinking, binge drinking, or both. Heavy drinking is defined for women, as more than one drink per day on average, and for men, two drinks per day on average. Binge drinking may occur only once per week or once per month but is defined as 5 or more drinks during a single occasion (in about 2 hours) for men or 4 or more drinks during a single occasion for women. Approximately 5% of the total population drinks heavily and 15% of the population engages in binge drinking, according to the CDC.
Binge drinking alone is associated with a number of very serious and significant consequences. Not to mention the many accidents, injuries, sexually transmitted diseases, unintended pregnancies, and children born with fetal alcohol syndrome, alcohol intoxication from binge drinking is often responsible for significant brain damage, liver disease, high blood pressure, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases, sexual dysfunction, and deadly alcohol poisoning.
Have you ever heard on the news that alcohol can cause cancer or brain damage? Well it can, yet this seems to be a well-kept secret. Heavy alcohol consumption, and in some cases moderate alcohol consumption, has a huge downside such as increasing the risk of cancer of the breast, mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, and liver; not to mention other toxic and harmful effects on the brain and liver.
Despite all the well-documented research that shows the hazards of drinking alcohol, most people when asked will say, drinking a glass or two of wine or an alcoholic drink is “good for you”. Sure, an occasional glass of wine probably won’t hurt most people, but any more than a glass per day for a woman is considered heavy drinking, and there are bad consequences of heavy drinking.
The daily news is not completely wrong, there does appear to be some health benefits of alcohol, but many leading authorities contend that the hazards outweigh the benefits.
Source: National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institute of Health
March 3rd, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Alcohol dependence or abuse was associated with nearly double the risk of major depression in a recent study of 18 to 25 year olds.
There appears to be little doubt that heavy drinking adversely affects the brain. Numerous studies have not only linked alcohol problems with depression, but several other recent trials have found that heavy drinking in teens and young adults can cause brain shrinkage and changes on MRI consistent with early signs of alcohol-related dementia. Young problem drinkers have been found to have significantly smaller prefrontal cortexes, an area of the brain associated with complex thinking, planning, inhibition, and emotional regulation. Also, the size of the prefrontal cortex strongly correlated with the average number of drinks an individual consumed per drinking episode.
People of all ages, especially children, need to learn and use healthy coping mechanisms, such as exercise and good eating habits, to control stress. Heavy drinking to wind down or have a good time often leads to a viscious downhill spiral of self-destruction.
Source: Fergusson D, et al “Tests of causal links between alcohol abuse or dependence and major depression” Arch Gen Psychiatry 2009; 66: 260-266.
February 21st, 2009 by Nina Thompson, ARNP
Most of us truly love our coffee and especially look forward to that first cup in the morning. It’s delicious, it helps you wake up, and quite honestly, most of us are addicted to this wonderful brew. But are we going to regret this delicious indulgence some day?
A number of researchers have recently investigated the health benefits of coffee and found that drinking regular coffee on a routine basis was associated with many important health benefits such as a decreased risk of stroke, diabetes and dementia. Also, several studies have found that people who drink coffee on a regular basis are up to 80% less likely to develop Parkinson’s. Other research shows that compared to not drinking coffee, at least two cups daily was linked to a 25% reduced risk of colon cancer, an 80% drop in liver cirrhosis risk, and nearly half the risk of gallstones.
Coffee has been found to be helpful in people who have asthma. It also has been known to stop a headache, improve mood, increase concentration and give you that extra energy needed to get through the day.
Some of the health benefits of coffee are merely from the caffeine. An eight ounce cup of drip-brewed coffee contains about 85 mg of caffeine, whereas eight ounces of black tea only has about 45 mg of caffeine and 12 ounces of Coke has 35 mg of caffeine. Many of the so called “Sports/Energy Drinks” on the market are loading up on caffeine for that extra jolt and may contain over 150 mg of caffeine.
Researchers believe that most of the health benefits from coffee probably originate from substances other than caffeine. Phenolic compounds in coffee have strong antioxidant properties, which may improve endothelial function. Caffeinated coffee appears to have beneficial effects on glucose metabolism, inflammation, and endothelial function which would account for protection against diabetes and stroke.
Of course adding cream which is loaded with fat may counteract some of the health benefits of coffee, and pouring several spoons full of sugar into the cup adds another carbohydrate load that is not beneficial.
While these studies are very good news for coffee drinkers, be aware that coffee can lead to a number of health problems. These can include fast heart rate, tremors, irritable bladder, excessive urination, stomach irritation, gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), nausea, vomiting, restlessness, anxiety, depression, and difficulty sleeping.
Caffeine is notorious for interfering with much-needed sleep. Many people get in a viscious cycle of using caffeine to mask their sleep deprivation, but then the excess caffeine keeps them from falling asleep the following night. The best way to break this cycle is to avoid all caffeine eight to ten hours before your desired bedtime. Drinking coffee later in the day is more likely to cause insomnia as well as stomach irritation and reflux for many people.
Another drawback of coffee is that certain drugs can interact with caffeine. Pregnant women and people with coronary heart disease or peptic ulcers are often advised to restrict or avoid using caffeine altogether.
Contrary to the popular belief that coffee will sober you up after drinking too much alcohol, it can actually worsen the problem. A recent study found that a high caffeine energy drink mixed with vodka actually reduced the participants’ perception of motor coordination compared with vodka alone. This could obviously lead to disasterous consequences in a person who is drinking heavily away from home and has several cups of coffee to sober up before driving home.
So, is coffee good for us? It depends on who you are, how much you drink, and when you drink it. It’s a good idea to talk to your doctor about the amount of coffee you drink.
Source: “High Coffee Consumption Linked to Lower Stroke Risk for Women”, MedPage Today, February 17, 2009
Source: Lopez-Garcia E, et al “Coffee consumption and risk of stroke in women” Circulation 2009; 119: 1116-1123.